'A healthy lifestyle has given me a chance to be a dad'

Thomas McCluskey (30) was told he would never be a dad because his sperm count was zero. But thanks to a few changes in his diet, the Dublin security guard has seen a remarkable change in his fertility.

Thomas McCluskey (30) was told he would never be a dad because his sperm count was zero. But thanks to a few changes in his diet, the Dublin security guard has seen a remarkable change in his fertility.

He says: "When I got the news that the only way we would have a baby was through a sperm donor, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.

"I was shocked and felt like I'd let my wife Karen (30) down. I couldn't believe someone was telling me I'd never be a dad.

"We'd been trying for years but until that point, all the tests had focused on Karen.

"I'd had sperm analysis done where I'd been told my count was low but I wasn't told that it was a problem.

"But when I got tested a second time, the results showed there was nothing there. Karen's eggs were fine -- it was me that was the problem.

"We went to Declan Keane at ReproMed to see if there was anything at all we could do and it was only then that we learned the importance of diet and lifestyle.

"I couldn't believe nobody had told me any of this before. We'd been living on frozen food and take-aways while getting no exercise -- all terrible for sperm.

"I started exercising, cut back on alcohol and began eating more vegetables, especially garlic, sweetcorn, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds which are all supposed to be great for sperm production. We also started acupuncture and hypnotherapy through Accomplish Change Clinic.

"In just a few months I dropped over three stone but the best news was when I recently had a sperm analysis test done, it showed my sperm count had gone from nothing to 500,000.

"From being told I would never be a dad, I now feel confident that we've got to the root of the problem and will conceive through natural means."